Apparatus for rolling steel barrel chimes



' Se t, 14, 1948. 2,449,206

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING STEEL BARREL CHIMES E. o. DRYER ET AL Filed Jan. 27, 1947i Eldon 0. Dryr Allen 'Meisenheimer Jr.

INVEN TORS 7 bit,

ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 14, 1948 till. srr

APPARATUS FOR normed s rnar.

onnuns WEE BARREL Eldon G. Dryer, Richmond, and Allen H. 'Meisenheimer, din, Berkeley, Calif.

Application January 27, 1947, Serial No. 724,574

(or. l53--"2) 2 Claims.

Heretofore such operations have been carried out by opposed rollers, generally of small diameter as compared to the diameter of the annulus to be compressed, orby rollers of small diameter which compress the annulus, or specifically a steel barrel chime, against a concentric mandrel of substantially the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of the annulus. When devices of this nature have been'used, the short line contact between the roller and the chime or annular flange is generally of too small an area for effective compression or straightening, and tends rather to stretch the metal than to press or force it to the desired curvature or degree of smoothness required.

This invention comprehends broadly the provision of a rotatable member or mandrel having a rim adapted to be circumscribed or enclosed by the annulus to be operated upon, and a ring of larger diameter than the annulus surrounding said rim and said annulus, the ring being movable in the plane of the rim to contact tangentially and to compress the annulus between the ring and the circular rim of the central member. Desirably the central member is provided with means whereby it may be rotated, and such rotation, under circumstances just described, inherently causes rotation of both the annulus and the outer ring, whereby the annulus is progressively and smoothly compressed as rotation occurs. En the specific application of this invention to the straightening or removal of dents from the chimes of steel barrels, the advantages of the combination just described over the prior practices mentioned above have been very favorably demonstrated, presumably due to the similarity of the diameters of the mutually acting members.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved means for progressively compressing an annular flange between a rigid central member and a outer ring, which may be floating, or undriven, if desired and movable in the plane of the flange to be either substantially concentric therewith or tangential thereto.

Another object is to provide an improved apparatus for rapidly and economically straightening In the drawing, Figure l is a planview of a 2 1 the end flanges or chimes of cylindrical steel barrels. i w a 9 Another object is toprovide an improved apparatus which may conveniently be placed: be-

neath the floor of a steel barrel handling plant, and adapted to receive and operate upon the chimes of the barrels with a minimum of handling of the latter as well as exposure of moving parts which would be a hazard to the operators.

These and other objects and advantages will he further apparent from the following specifica tion and the attached drawing, whiohforms a part thereof, and which describe andillustratea preferred embodiment of the invention-as applied to barrel chime straightening. a simple form of the invention. as applied to a barrel chime straightener. Figure 2 isia side elevational view of the apparatus of Figure l, and Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on line III-III of Figure 1, showing to an enlarged scale the relation between the annularlflange, ring, and mandrel or turntable of this embodiment.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly Fig- I ures 1 and 2, reference numeral Ill designates generally a base or support member, comprising structural members H and I2 supporting avertical bearing 53, and resting upon abutments or footings It. Bearing 83 supports a heavy vertical shaft l5 on top of which is a turntable l6 hav ing a rim H, which could properly be designated a mandrel, and over which the annular flange or chime I8 of a steel barrel i9 is adapted to fit (Figure 3). Desirably, means for rotating shaft 15 and table l6 at a relatively low speed are provided, in this example being a motor Zll secured at one side of structural member II and having a speed reducing gear at driving a larger spur gear 22 on shaft l5. through a smaller spur gear 23' (Figure 2). Suitable means for supplying and controlling electric current to motor 20 may be provided, and need no description here.

The floating metal ring which constitutes an important part of this combination is designated "24 and has a shoulder 2 H adapted to exert a downward restraining force on the upper edge of chime E8 to keep it in position during the rolling and straightening operation. In this example, ring 24 is supported rotatably in the plane of rim ll between three circumferentially spaced flanged rollers 25, 26 and 21. These rollers are also movable selectively in the plane of rim H, for a purpose which will be further apparent. Rollers 25 and 26 are journa'led in forks 28 and 29, respectively, the latter being carried by splined or keyed shafts 30 and 3| in supports 32 and 33 (Figures 1 and 2). Shafts 30 and 3| are slidably mounted, and are resiliently urged toward the axis of shaft l5 and turntable It by springs 34 and 35 and collars 36 and 31. Other types of resilient mountings mechanically equivalent to those described could equally well be used.

The third "roller '21, on the oppos'itesi'de" of. ring 24 from rollers 25 and 26, is similarly journaled in a vertical fork 38 on keyed shaft 39, the latter slidably mounted in support 40 on base member ll. On the opposite end of shaft .39.and acting selectively to urge it and roller 21 toward and from the rim I! of turntable l 6, is a power means, in this case an air-actuated cylinder and piston, generally designated 4|, supplied from a suitable source of compressed air (not shown) and con-- trolled by means such as a conventional threeway cook 42.

By the arrangement just described, when power "means 31%| .urges'rshaft -39 and-roller 2:1 'toward'the center of the turntable I6, ring 24 is moved against the resilient :force exerted by rollers 25 and 6 to :a point where its inner 'face will be ttangential to' thezouterfface of any-annular-fiange tor chime 4.8 whichmayibe in place on mandrel 11$, itendingzto compress the :flange l8 against the :rim [-1. r-If rth'e mandrel is rotatedas *by means of motor .21] and .its accompanying gearing, the flange 18, :together with ring 24, wil1 be rotated -t'heneby, progressively :compressing the flange,

eeither iforthe purpose of straightening dents for zroir any other :desired operation thereon.

slnmrderdaorplacaa barrel i9 .on turntabl'e It or to remove it therefrom,;powertmeans M .is actuated rt'o retract roller '21, whereupon -.roll'ers Z5 .andflfi, under the influence of springs 34 and 35, milllurgeithe relativelymigid ring-24 to a position more inearly concentric, if not-actually 'concentric with turntable 1-6, leaving the chime I 8 and :lcarrel :I 9 :free sfrom irestraint.

: .lDesirably, the turntable .16 may be ipositioned as shown to rota-teaaboutwa vertical axisaandjust below -:asguid'e opening 43 in :afioor '44, to 'zfacili- 'itate the ipl'acing, straightening, and removal of the :barrels 49, although :it is obvious. that, for other :-app1ications, it'he =a'xis could .be in any plane :that 'was :cionvenient or desirable. Accordingly, .although-.a .-singleembodiment and application of annular flange to be received between said ring and said turntable and for urging said ring toward said rim progressively to compress said liange radially therebetween when said turntable is rotated, said means comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced rollers and means for resiliently urgin some of said rollers toward and from said rim, at least one of said rollers being positively movable toward said rim.

.2. :In combination, .a turntable :hav-ing Ea trim,

:mean-s ifor rotating said :turntable, :a rigid -ficat- -ing :ring surrounding said turntable, and means 'tor selectively positioningsaid llllgtfo permit an annular :flange to be -received between said ring and said turntable and [for urging .said ring toward :said rim progressively to compress said flange :radially therebetween when said turntable is rotated, said means comprising three circumriierentially spaced fianged :rollers, two rofysaid .rollers bein resiliently :mounted to .move .in the plane of said rim, :the third roller being provided with means for ,positivelyur-ging it :toward said rim.

'ELDON "o. DRYER. ,ALLEN 'MEISENI-IEIMER, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are -of record in the .file of this ,patent:

UNITED -STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2;426-,-949 Pu-ster r Sept. 2, 1947 "FOREIGN "FATENTS .Number Country .Date

15,256 (GreatBritain so; .1902 

